Distance and absorption features in the CG 30/CG 31/CG 38 complex

Abstract

We report a possible confirmation of the short 200 pc distance to the cometary globules CG 30/31/38 suggested by a previously discussed (V - I) - V diagram to V_lim ~ 20 mag. New 2 magnitudes deeper V and I photometry centered on CG 31A indicate the presence of visual extinction A_V = 5\fm6 at 200 pc. In addition, we may have measured an absorption gradient along the tail of CG 31C with A_V varying between 7\fm0 and 3\fm5. The Hipparcos - Tycho-2 sample of double stars is used to demonstrate that the bright - red confinements in the colour-magnitude diagram, which we use to estimate the distance and absorption of nearby molecular clouds, probably can not be caused by duplicity. Based on observations ESO, La Silla